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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(7); doi: 10.3390/ani11071965

Comparison of the Effect of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Vein Diameter in Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Skin in Healthy Racehorses.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to assess differences in the influence of high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) on the skin surface temperature and vein diameter of the lateral fetlock joint region in a group of racehorses with pigmented and non-pigmented skin in the treatment area. Twenty Thoroughbreds were divided into two equal groups: pigmented and non-pigmented skin groups. Each horse received the same HILT treatment. Just before and immediately after HILT, thermographic examination was performed to measure the skin surface temperature and ultrasonographic examination assessed the lateral digital palmar vein diameter. After HILT, the pigmented skin surface temperature increased, while the non-pigmented skin surface temperature decreased, and the difference between both groups was significant (p < 0.001). The vein diameter increased after HILT in horses with pigmented and non-pigmented skin, but the difference between both groups was not significant (p = 0.14). In conclusion, melanin content in the epidermis plays an important role in light energy absorption and photothermal effects. The vein diameter changes after HILT application indicated that the increase in vessel diameter may partly depend on photothermal mechanisms occurring in irradiated tissue. Further research is necessary to describe the physiological and clinical effects of HILT performed on pigmented and non-pigmented skin.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-30 PubMed ID: 34209183PubMed Central: PMC8300361DOI: 10.3390/ani11071965Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research aimed to assess how high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) influenced skin temperature and vein diameter in pigmented and non-pigmented horse skin. It revealed that melanin content in the skin greatly affects how heat is absorbed and impacts the changes in vein diameter following HILT treatment.

Study Design and Methods

  • The study involved a total of twenty Thoroughbred racehorses which were divided equally into two groups: one group with pigmented skin and the other with non-pigmented skin. The separation was made to assess any differences the skin pigmentation could have on the study’s results.
  • Each horse underwent the same HILT treatment. Measurements and examinations were done before and immediately after the HILT treatment. This was done to gather data on how HILT affects the skin surface temperature and the vein diameter.
  • The tools used in the research were thermographic and ultrasonographic examinations. The thermographic examination measured the skin surface temperature, while the ultrasonographic examination measured the lateral digital palmar vein diameter.

Main Findings

  • After HILT treatment, there was an increase in the skin surface temperature of the pigmented skin horses, while a decrease in temperature was observed in the non-pigmented skin horses. The difference in temperature changes between the two types of skin was significant.
  • The study also found an increase in vein diameter in both pigmented and non-pigmented skin horses after HILT, although the difference between both of the groups was deemed not significant.

Conclusion and Further Research

  • The study concluded that the melanin in the epidermis plays an important role in the absorption of light energy and the resulting photothermal effects. This implies that the type of skin pigmentation in horses can influence how heat is absorbed and released.
  • The increase in vein diameter after the application of HILT suggested that vessel diameter changes may partly depend on photothermal mechanisms occurring in the treated tissue. However, the nature and specifics of this relationship are not entirely clear and require further study.
  • The researchers recommended further research to better understand the physiological and clinical effects of HILT on both pigmented and non-pigmented skin horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Zielińska P, Soroko M, Howell K, Godlewska M, Hildebrand W, Dudek K. (2021). Comparison of the Effect of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on Skin Surface Temperature and Vein Diameter in Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Skin in Healthy Racehorses. Animals (Basel), 11(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11071965

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 7

Researcher Affiliations

Zielińska, Paulina
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Plac Grunwaldzki 51, 50-366 Wroclaw, Poland.
Soroko, Maria
  • Institute of Animal Breeding, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Chelmonskiego 38C, 51-630 Wroclaw, Poland.
Howell, Kevin
  • Microvascular Diagnostics, Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, UK.
Godlewska, Maria
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Plac Grunwaldzki 51, 50-366 Wroclaw, Poland.
Hildebrand, Weronika
  • Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Plac Grunwaldzki 51, 50-366 Wroclaw, Poland.
Dudek, Krzysztof
  • Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Technology, Lukasiewicza 7/9, 50-231 Wroclaw, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 10 times.
  1. Soroko-Dubrovina M, Zielińska P, Dudek KD, Śniegucka K, Nawrot K. Thermal Effects of High-Intensity Laser Therapy on the Temporomandibular Joint Area in Clinically Healthy Racehorses-A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 15;15(10).
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  2. Nawrot K, Soroko-Dubrovina M, Zielińska P, Dudek K, Howell K. The Application of Infrared Thermography in the Assessment of BEMER Physical Vascular Therapy on Body Surface Temperature in Racing Thoroughbreds: A Preliminary Study. Animals (Basel) 2024 May 23;14(11).
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  3. Verdegaal EJMM, Howarth GS, McWhorter TJ, Delesalle CJG. Thermoregulation during Field Exercise in Horses Using Skin Temperature Monitoring. Animals (Basel) 2023 Dec 30;14(1).
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